Subcutaneous tissue palpation

In the subcutaneous tissues lie some of the superficial blood vessels. Palpate veins over the back of the hand or in the arrtecnbital fossa. Occlusion with a tourniquet makes the veins mote prominent. Note the springy feel. Palpate the radial and carotid arteries. Note that they are much firmer than unoccluded veins. Palpate the back for any abnormal tensions in the subcutaneous tissues. This may indicate contiactuie or fibrous changes of the fascia. 

The soft tissues of the thoracic area should be palpated for texture changes skin, fascia, subcutaneous tissues, and muscle. Large muscle hypertonicity or small localized areas of muscle tension should be noted. Areas of tenderness or specific Jones tender points or trigger points should be noted. 

The deeper layers of tissue are palpated next, including the subcutaneous tissues and the fas-... 

Our goal was to measure the viscoelastic properties of the human brain under practical conditions. Therefore, we used the tactile resonant sensor with the stress-strain function that simulated manual palpation. In this study, the stiffness was 2.837 0.709 (N), Young s elastic modulus was E = 5.08 1.31, and the shear modulus was G = 1.94 0.49 for a depth of 3.0 mm. Poisson s ratio (u) was calculated as 0.31-0.62 using the equation E = 2G (1h- u). These values were approximately equal to those previously reported for the viscoelasticity properties of the brain in vivo [1-7]. The results of indentation fitted the Maxwell model as expressed by the equation G = Ge - Gi exp (-t/x), where Ge is the instantaneous modulus in shear, Gi is the relaxation in the shear modulus, t is time, and x is the relaxation time. Thus, G = 1.94-1- 3.3 exp(-t/0.5) under the assumption that Ge = 1.94, Gi = 3.3, t = h/1.5, and x = 0.5. The results obtained in this study by an indentation method, reflected those of a previous model [9-12]. However, this measurement method evaluated brain viscoelasticity via multiple structural layers including the skin, subcutaneous tissues, muscle fascia, and dura. Moreover, some assumptions had to be made to approximate the expression for elasticity. 

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